Nuci's Space to install solar power equipment

Wednesday

Apr 13, 2016 at 4:44 PM

Solarize Athens announced Wednesday that Nuci's Space was chosen from among a number of Athens nonprofits to receive a solar energy system for its Oconee Street facility.

"We'll be very happy when we can say that the music that comes out of this building is 'solarized,'" said Bob Sleppy, executive director of Nuci's Space, an Athens nonprofit providing practice space, health services and other assistance to local musicians.

Nuci's Space was chosen from a number of local nonprofits in part because its facility, which includes a flat roof that will easily accommodate solar panels, made sense as a location for solar energy, Colleen McLoughlin of Environment Georgia said Wednesday.

Solarize Athens is working with a preferred contractor, Lilburn-based Alternative Energy Southeast, to install solar systems. One of the reasons Alternative Energy Southeast was chosen for the local initiative, according to McLoughlin, was its commitment to assisting with a community-oriented project such as installing solar energy equipment for a local nonprofit.

Alternative Energy Southeast, with some assistance from Solarize Athens, is donating roughly half of the $20,000 cost of installing the system at Nuci's Space, in the eastern edge of downtown Athens. Nuci's Space will match the Alternative Energy Southeast-Solarize Athens commitment to the project, and seek donations to help it cover the cost, Sleppy said Wednesday as the project was announced at Nuci's Space.

The nearly-10-kilowatt installation planned for Nuci's Space - 36 panels, each generating 275 watts, and covering about 650 square feet of the facility's roof - is projected to cut the nonprofit's energy bills by about half, according to McLoughlin.

Installation of the system begins sometime within the next couple of months and will take about a week, according to Montana Busch of Alternative Energy Southeast. Sleppy said Nuci's Space's current energy bills total about $9,000 annually, meaning the payback for the nonprofit's investment in the system will take only about two years.

More important, though, Sleppy said, is the energy savings will immediately allow Nuci's Space to schedule as many as 150 additional counseling appointments per year.

"This is about more than solar energy," Sleppy said Wednesday. "This is about our ability to help people."

Nuci's Space was looking at the possibility of installing solar energy equipment on its building for some time, Sleppy said, but determined it wouldn't be cost-effective outside of some arrangement like the Alternative Energy Southeast-Solarize Athens donation program.

Sleppy pronounced the facility's flat roof as "perfect" for a solar installation, and Busch said the panels will be installed at a slight angle to maximize exposure to the sun's rays. Also as part of the installation, Nuci's Space will include a video screen, visible to visitors and patrons, that show the building's solar energy use on a real-time basis.

"I'm confident that Nuci's Space can and will take a prominent role in educating the public about our experience with solar energy and its many benefits to our community and environment," Sleppy said.

Solarize Athens, the result of work begun months ago by Environment Georgia, Georgia Interfaith Power & Light, the Georgia Climate Change Coalition and Solar CrowdSource, is a bulk-purchasing initiative designed to triple the number of solar installations in the area. This means the initiative is striving to get a total of 100 new commercial or residential installations across Athens-Clarke, Oconee and Madison counties.

As of Wednesday, 33 contracts for solar installations were signed, and a total of 600 people signed up for assessments to determine whether solar power makes sense for their home or business. Applications for site visits are being accepted by Solarize Athens through April 30, online at http://bit.ly/1NMvQ8q.

Also on hand for Wednesday's announcement at Nuci's Space was Athens-Clarke County Mayor Nancy Denson, who said she was "very happy with the success of Solarize Athens" and added it is "very important for us to leave a sustainable future to the next generations."

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